opera

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. A theatrical presentation in which a dramatic performance is set to music.

n. The score of such a work.

n. A theater designed primarily for operas.

n. A plural of opus.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. A theatrical work combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.

n. The score for such a work.

n. A building designed for the performance of such works; an opera house.

n. A company dedicated to performing such works.

n. Any showy, melodramatic or unrealistic production resembing an opera.

n. A collection of work (plural of opus).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

n. A drama, either tragic or comic, of which music forms an essential part; a drama wholly or mostly sung, consisting of recitative, arias, choruses, duets, trios, etc., with orchestral accompaniment, preludes, and interludes, together with appropriate costumes, scenery, and action; a lyric drama.

n. The score of a musical drama, either written or in print; a play set to music.

n. The house where operas are exhibited.

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. A form of extended dramatic composition in which music is an essential and predominant factor; a musical drama, or a drama in music. ; ; ;

n. The score or words of a musical drama, either printed or in manuscript; a libretto.

n. A theater where operas are performed; an opera-house.

n. The administration, revenue, and property of an Italian church or parish.

The Italians, who followed classic models, for a reason amply explained by the genesis of the art-form, rigorously excluded comedy from serious operas, except as intermezzi, until they hit upon a third classification, which they called opera semiseria, in which a serious subject was enlivened with comic episodes.